Blake Bortles soaks in emotion of dream NFL Draft night in New York

Low-key former UCF quarterback finally allowed himself to ride wave of joy after he was selected No. 3 by Jacksonville Jaguars

Former UCF star Blake Bortlesposes with a jersey after he was… (Elsa, Getty Images )

May 9, 2014|By Paul Tenorio, Orlando Sentinel

NEW YORK — Blake Bortles never stopped smiling as he made the rounds through all his media obligations at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night.

The former UCF quarterback said he was still grinning as he walked out of the Willow Road restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan nearly five hours later.

Bortles' stomach was full with two orders of what he called the best fried chicken he had ever eaten. The black Jacksonville Jaguars hat he pulled on as he walked onto the NFL Draft stage was still snug on his head.

Bortles' personality always seems to be medium — never too high, never too low — but the Oviedo High graduate could not contain his excitement after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called his name third during the draft Thursday.

Throughout the draft process, Bortles said he never felt nervous. He didn't want to waste emotion on speculation. But now, finally, as he walked back into his room on the 20th floor of a Midtown hotel in the early hours of Friday night, Bortles said he had a chance to reflect on what unfolded during the past five hours.

"It was just kind of this fact that, 'Wow, that just happened,'" Bortles recalled later Friday afternoon, as he drove back to Oviedo with his family following his introductory press conference in Jacksonville. "'I was just a first-round draft pick, the third overall pick. I'm a professional football player now.' … It was just indescribable."

Bortles arrived in New York City Tuesday afternoon with little certainty about where he might land.

He had once been considered a true candidate for the top overall selection, but Bortles later tumbled into the late stages of the first round in many of the experts' final mock drafts. As he was shuttled from one pre-draft event to the next Wednesday, Bortles deflected questions about his slumping draft status. He didn't care whether he went first or 100th, he said.

Weeks earlier, though, Bortles had dreamed of going undrafted, sitting alone in the green room for all three days and seven rounds of the draft. He joked that if it happened, at least he could enjoy the food in the NFL's waiting room for a few days.

If the nightmare was an indication of some inner fear, Bortles never outwardly displayed those concerns.

On the night before the draft, the 6-foot-5, 232-pound passer laughed and joked with friends as he circled the blocks around his hotel in search of a slice of genuine New York City pizza. The glow of the Radio City Music Hall marquee was visible eight blocks away. Bortles' football fate was going to be determined in that building less than 24 hours later.

True to his personality, Bortles seemed to have no care in the world.

"I felt fine," Bortles said. "I was never really nervous at any point."

The former UCF star never had any reason for concern. The call from the Jaguars came earlier than anyone expected. By 8:40 p.m. on Thursday night, Bortles had been transformed into a hometown hero and face of a franchise.

When Blake Bortles was finished with his media obligations a couple hours later, the Bortles clan piled into a van to go celebrate. As he passed around dishes with his family in the small restaurant late Thursday night — Caesar salad, sliders, meatballs, potato wedges and, of course, fried chicken — Bortles said he could feel the sense of relief in those around him.

He soaked in the moment and, for once, let himself get swept up in the joy of the moment.

"It was just a great feeling," Bortles said. "I couldn't control it. I couldn't help but smile and be happy."